He said: "This is a sad day but we can all celebrate an amazing life at the heart of British politics and public life.

"Whether you agreed with him or not, Tony Benn was always compelling, interesting and entertaining with unshakeable beliefs and a clear sense of right and wrong.

"Tony was a giant of the Labour movement when I first joined the party and we were wrestling with big ideas about our future direction. But even in his later years, he remained relevant and influential with his wit and wisdom on a range of issues, from international affairs to Scottish devolution.

"Above all, he was a dedicated family man and our thoughts are with those who feel his loss the most at this time."

2:19 pm

PA

A classic image of Tony Benn from 1981.

2:04 pm

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has described Tony Benn as a true friend of the Irish people following his support for a united Ireland.

His republicanism and dealings with Sinn Fein long before IRA and loyalist ceasefires which ended the Northern Ireland conflict in 1994 provoked controversy, particularly his invitation to Mr Adams to come to Westminster.

The former West Belfast MP said: "Tony was a true friend of the Irish people.

"A principled politician and activist, he spoke up passionately for the idea of a united Ireland. He remained an avid supporter of Irish freedom throughout his life."

Mr Benn met the Sinn Fein leader on numerous occasions. He invited Mr Adams to a meeting in 1983 during the height of the IRA's campaign when the republican party's tolerance of violence was anathema to most in Great Britain.

After a visit by Mr Adams was blocked in 1993 he correctly predicted that he would eventually visit Downing Street, to become a regular occurrence during peace process negotiations under the Blair administration.

Many unionists profoundly disagreed with his stance.

East Antrim Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson said: "He just followed the standard doctrinaire left wing view that republicans are good and unionists are bad. That permeated the left wing of the Labour Party."

Mr Benn, who died on Friday at the age of 88, once campaigned to have the Queen's head removed from stamps. He was a republican, advocating an end to the monarchy.

His interest in Northern Ireland was long-standing and helped keep the issue on the Westminster agenda.

Mr Adams, now a public representative in the Irish parliament, added: "Tony was a champion of the downtrodden and the voiceless in Britain, in Ireland and throughout the world.

"I met Tony many times over the years. He was a thoughtful and highly intelligent human being and a genuinely nice man, whom I will greatly miss."

1:35 pm

Seems like a lot of people want to lay floral tributes to Tony Benn.

A spokesman for the Benn family said: "In response to a number of queries about where floral tributes to Tony Benn might be laid, they can be placed on the north side of Parliament Square."

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Tony Benn was a friend and an inspiration to me personally and to the whole labour movement.

"He believed history shows us that big progressive changes in society are driven not by political elites, but by the endeavours of ordinary working people. His commitment to our causes meant that he was a familiar face at union events from Congress to the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs festival.

"His unceasing willingness to march alongside us and the deep sincerity he showed to everyone he encountered in the labour movement means that he leaves many friends, and has personally inspired the activism of many people from all walks of life."

12:34 pm

In Bristol a book of condolence has been opened for Tony Benn in City Hall, close to a statute of the former city MP.

Mayor George Ferguson said: "Tony Benn was undoubtedly the most remarkable politician to represent a Bristol constituency since Edmund Burke.

"He was a great orator and I always admired him on a personal level and stood side by side with him on such issues as human and civil rights.

"I shall have enduring memories of him - not least my last conversation with him while waiting for a bus by Waterloo Bridge reminiscing about his time as a young MP in Bristol of which he was enormously proud."

Benn once wrote to the editor of The Telegraph to complain after their friendship was described as 'platonic'.

Kaplinsky said today: "Others have rightly paid tribute to Tony's status and significance as a political giant. I will miss him as a friend. Ours was an unlikely friendship. He was an endlessly kind and thoughtful man.

"He never forgot a birthday or an important family occasion and I was often touched and surprised by his thoughtfulness. He famously left the House of Commons to spend more time on politics. His dedication to public life was undimmed until the end."

"Tony Benn was a great democrat - even if his economic policies were eccentric. He once told me, the key question to ask anyone in power: 'Who elected you - and how can I vote to remove you from office?'

"That, as he rightly said, is the question that needs to be asked of Brussels today."

Here's a video from the Press Association about the death of Tony Benn.

His family say funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.

10:37 am

Former prime minister Tony Blair has issued a tribute to Tony Benn.

He said: "Tony Benn was one of those rare things - a genuine radical for all his life. He was a fearless campaigner and a legendary figure for the Labour movement.

"Even when I disagreed with him, I always had enormous respect for his brilliance, his passion and his commitment to the people of Britain and of the world. My thoughts are with his family - with whom he was very close."